Candy Crushed
by S. Curvy
Summary: Mike and that day where everything that could possibly go wrong did. And then some.
1. Candy Crush and Good Will Hunting

**Candy Crushed**

Some days are better forgotten. Today would definitely classify as one of those days, if Mike Ross had the luxury of a regular brain, instead of his super enhanced eidetic memory one.

You see, it all started with his alarm. Or lack thereof. Okay, so Mike may or may not have played _Candy Crush_ until way past a respectable bed time for fake lawyers and therefore he may or may not have forgotten to turn on said alarm on his phone before passing out. If you ask him, he was definitely sleep walking and turned it off while asleep. That's his story and he's sticking to it. It's not like Rachel was going to tell on him anyway, she was away for the week.

The thing is, Mike woke up well rested but definitely late this morning. Not too late, mind you, but late enough that he had to pick between having breakfast and taking a shower. The latter -or lather- definitely won. Ha! Nothing like a nice, _clean_ joke!

So Mike found himself sitting in his Pearson Specter Litt office, starting up his computer, while very proud of the fact that he managed to make it on time in one presentable piece when in walked the man himself, Harvey Specter.

"I need precedent for the Johnson case. Then, you're going to prep miss Kruger for her deposition. Also, I heard that Paul Porter left some boring bowtie crap for you to proof because Louis told him you were good with numbers or something like that. Tell me again, Good Will Hunting, why are you doing work for Paul Porter? Are you thinking about going bankrupt?"

"When you think about it, it's just as arbitrary as drinking coffee... Speaking of which, I think I'm going to..."

"There's no time for coffee, Mike. Forget the caramels too. Didn't I tell you that judge Thompson moved the Johnson case to eleven o'clock? I need that precedent, and I need it yesterday."

"What? No, you didn't! When did..."

"Nevermind when. Courtroom B, eleven o'clock."

And just like that, Harvey left. Mike sighed. At least he got the Good Will Hunting reference.

Eleven o'clock came faster than Mike hoped but he didn't let Harvey down. He was there, on time, out of breath and a little dishevelled, according to the Specter Standard (Mike was seriously thinking about filling a patent form for « The Specter Standard »), but he was there. And most importantly, he had found not only one, but two kick-ass precedents, plus he had remembered to turn off his phone. In fact, Harvey was so impressed with his efficiency that he even let him take second chair. Mike Ross for the win!

But now,Mike was worried. Everything was taking forever long and he was afraid miss Kruger, that sweet old lady, would wait for him and then there were the Paul Porter reports to check, oh and also some briefs to proof, phone calls to return, so many papers to sign and the list went on and on. Just like this trial.

When the judge finally banged his gavel, Mike rose up to stand. He must have stood up a little too fast, because suddenly his head began to swim and he had to steady himself with both hands on the table. Luckily, the feeling went away just as fast as it came, so Mike took a deep breath, straightened his posture and followed Harvey out of the courtroom.

« Good job in there, rookie » Harvey smiled as they sat in the town car. «Drinks are on you tonight. »

« What? » Mike smirked, amused. « Shouldn't you be the one buying me a drink? If I remember correctly, I'm the one who found the precedent you so desperately needed to win. »

« You should be flattered that I'm letting you buy me a drink at all.»

Once Ray got the car in motion, Mike took out miss Kruger's file from his briefcase and decided to have another look at it before meeting her. Not even two pages and one stoplight in, he had to stop reading, close his eyes and take slow breaths. His head was killing him and he suddenly felt sick to his stomach.

« That boring, huh? » Harvey asked, while scanning the sports section of the Times, «Wait till you get to Paul Porter's papers ».

Mike just grunted in response, intent on keeping as still as possible. He was not going to be sick in Harvey's car. He was not going to be sick at all. He was perfectly healthy. Yes! That's it! He was a perfectly healthy associate on his way to win another case! As soon as he got out of this car, he was going to meet miss Kruger, and she was going to be so well coached that this case would be settled then and there! Ha! Now, if only someone could crack the window down a bit, and tell that damn woodpecker to stop pecking behind his eyes...

« Did you know that woodpeckers never get headaches? »

« What? » Harvey stopped reading and looked at his associate. Mike was currently resting his forehead against the window like a five year old.

« Yeah. Their skulls are built like a mini internal bike helmet. They even have a special bone called the hyoid that prevents brain injury from all the pecking. »

« If you are missing your bike helmet so much, why didn't you ride your bike to work today? » Harvey answered, rolling his eyes.

« Not the point » whispered Mike, « Do you have some ibuprofen? » but Harvey was getting out of the car. Realizing that they were back at the firm, Mike opened his eyes and stumbled out of the car.

Each step that he took towards the revolving doors resonated in his skull louder and louder until he couldn't take it anymore. He had to bend over, hands on his knees and catch his breath.

Harvey stopped, perplexed at the sudden situation. What was Mike doing? Was he crying? Those were definitely tears running down his face. What was wrong with Mike? He got closer and took a better look at him. Eyes scrunched, pale face, hands trembling, swallowing repeatedly... Oh God! Mike was going to be sick!

Wasting no time, Harvey took Mike's elbow and quickly led him inside the building, where he sat him on a bench before he embarrassed himself on the sidewalk.

« What did you have for breakfast? » he asked, while putting a paper bin in front of Mike.

« Nothing » croaked Mike. He opened his eyes to look at Harvey and closed them just as fast, grabbing the trashcan and dry heaving into it.

Stepping aside, Harvey took out his phone and called Donna. Whatever plague Mike had, he was not going to share it with fortune 500 clients. Well, not _his_ fortune 500 clients, anyway. The lawyer snickered as he considered sending Mike to Travis Tanner's office over at Smith &amp; Devane...

« What's so funny, Harvey », Donna asked. « Did you get the picture of Louis I just sent you?»

« What? » Harvey fought the urge to scan his inbox but immediately sobered up. «Nevermind. We have a situation ».

« What kind of situation? »

« A Mike situation. As in : you need to reschedule his meeting with Miss Kruger or get whatever associate to handle it without completely ruining it. »

« I'm on it. What's going on with the puppy? »

« To tell you the truth, I'm not sure yet. »

Harvey had kept his eyes on Mike the whole time. The younger man was still sitting where he left him, eyes closed, no longer hunched over the paper bin but instead pinching the bridge of his nose with his left hand while keeping his balance with the right one.

« I'll call you back later ».

Looking at the screen as he hung up, Harvey noticed the time displayed on his cell phone. 2:47. Was it already this late in the afternoon? Of course! That's what was wrong with his associate : the kid was probably hungry! With that thought in mind, Harvey walked back outside, leaving Mike in the lobby.

« Eat this », Mike heard Harvey's voice say a couple of minutes later. He didn't trust his stomach yet and his head was still pounding too hard for him to open his eyes to the light of the afternoon sun. So Mike remained perfectly still.

Sighing, Harvey sat down next to his associate and grabbed his hand. He pressed a cup in it and lifted it towards Mike's head.

« Come on, I got you a juice. Should make you feel better in no time and then you'll have this hot dog and we'll forget this ever happened. »

Mike took a tentative sip and gave Harvey a watery smile.

« Thanks Harvey. »

« I swear to God, Mike, if this is one of your plans to get me to have lunch with you, I'll book you lunch meetings with Paul Porter for the next three weeks and then you'll beg me never to give you lunch breaks again. »

Once Mike's complexion started going from a light green to a ghost white and his hands weren't shaking as much, Harvey decided it was time to move. Once again, taking Mike's elbow, he led him to the elevators and then all the way to his office were he parked him on the couch.

« Take your shoes off and lay back for a while. I'll dim the lights. You'll have your hotdog, I'll have my bagel. You can pretend we're dining out and I'll pretend you're not here while I actually do my job ». Harvey's words might have been dry but his voice was warm and soft and so Mike did just as he was told. He slowly ate his food and closed his eyes as the pleasant buzz of a full stomach lulled him to sleep.


	2. The Exorcist

Harvey was checking his calendar, debating on whether he should let Mike sleep for another hour on the couch or if he should wake him up and get him to do some work when all of a sudden Mike jolted off the couch and stumbled towards the door before doubling over and collapsing on the floor.

« What the... » Harvey's sentence was cut short once he saw the impressive way Mike was projecting food on his carpet. He was definitely giving Linda Blair a run for her money. Had it not been so disgusting, Harvey might even have made an Exorcist reference, but clearly Mike, and the poor janitor Donna was calling, would not find this funny.

« Oh God », said Mike as he got up on shaky legs and ran towards the nearest bathroom.

Harvey's options were very limited. There was no way he was staying in his putrid smelling office. It could be a quarantine zone, for all he knew. He could go for a coffee break but then again he didn't feel like ingesting anything right now. Go figure. So he sighed, put his pen down, rolled his eyes for good measure and walked to the gentlemen's room.

As he pushed the door open, Harvey congratulated himself on not having a coffee. There was no human way he would have made it inside with a full stomach. This place smelled worse than his old gym bag that time he had forgotten it in the car for a couple of days. In fact, Harvey wished he could stuff his head in his gym bag right now and take a good whiff instead of breathing what could only be described as aerial toxic waste.

Harvey Specter could have held his breath and soldiered on but the noises coming out of the zombie apocalypse version of Mike Ross were what made him turn around and leave the bathroom.

« You wouldn't happen to carry some holy water in that handbag of yours, would you? » Harvey asked Donna as he came back to her desk.

« First of all, this exquisite work of art shall not be referred to as a handbag. It's a timeless and elegant _Capucines_, named after the street where Louis Vuitton opened his first store in 1854. Second of all, I've told you once and again that Norma is not a vampire. Leave the woman alone, will you?»

« I swear to God she constantly stares at my neck, but I'm digressing. Either Mike is possessed or he's intent on running for the next Miss America pageant. Anyway, he's throwing up like a busted fire hydrant in there.»

Donna fished a silver packet out of her purse and popped out two peach colored tablets.

« Here. Get him to swallow two of these and as soon as his stomach settles, let me know so I can have a driver ready to take him home. » Donna said as she once more picked up the telephone.

« What is that? » Harvey asked as Donna put the pills in his hand. « Are you giving him Midol? Do you think our little girl is going to have her period? »

« It's Gravol, genius. Should help with the nausea. Now shoo! I have work to do, meetings to reschedule and gossip to catch up on. »


	3. GQ and Gravol

Mike was pretty sure he was dying. His whole body was betraying him all at once. His insides were effectively trying -and succeeding- to come out of all possible orifices. He was sweating, shivering, his nose was running, his eyes were crying, he was currently sitting on the can with his head in another can, for crying out loud! Things could not get worse. So of course, they did.

He was just resting his weary head on the cool wall tiles for a second after losing yet another round against his up-chuck reflex when the stall door opened to reveal Harvey standing there before him.

The last thing a man dying on a toilet needs is for Harvey Reginald Specter, GQ extraordinaire, to see them crying with their pants down.

« Go away and let me die » Mike mumbled behind the shaking hand that was now covering his face.

Harvey did no such thing. Instead, he grabbed Mike's trashcan, went to the next stall and emptied it. Then he went to the sinks, rinsed it out and gave it back to Mike.

« Just hang on for a second, Mike. I'll be right back » Harvey said softly. He went to the bathroom's door and locked it for privacy. Nobody needed to see Mike -or him- like this.

Mike opened his eyes when he felt something cool being pressed on his nape. Harvey had wet some paper towels and was now dabbing at his forehead. He didn't trust his ability to speak without throwing up so he kept quiet, plus he was scared that his brain had finally overloaded and that all of this was an hallucination. But it felt good, so Mike let it be and closed his eyes again.

Harvey removed Mike's tie, shoved it in his jacket's pocket and unbuttoned his collar.

« Think you can try a sip of water? »

« Mmmhhh » came the response from the figure who was half slumped against the wall, still hugging the trashcan.

« Alright. I'll give you a minute. Why don't you pull your pants up since the worst of it seems to be over and then we'll try and get you rehydrated. »

It took a superhuman effort for Mike to get redressed but he did. Every single muscle in his body was complaining against any movement and by the time he sat back, he was exhausted. He was trying to catch his breath when his traitorous stomach decided to act up again. The poor guy just couldn't get a break.

« This looks like food poisoning to me », Harvey sighed. «What kind of idiot sells bad hot dogs in front of a law firm? This is begging for a lawsuit. »

But now was not the time to fill paperwork, Harvey decided. It was time to see if Mike could swallow and keep one of Donna's magic pills. He went once more to the sinks, got his hands full of sanitizer and attempted to disinfect Mike's clammy hands. Once satisfied, he put a tablet in the associate's hand and held a paper goblet in front of him.

« What is that? » Mike asked, eyeing the pill.

« It's Gravol.»

« What's that? » Mike asked again.

« Are you deaf too? I just told you. It's Gravol. Now take it ».

« What's Gravol? »

«You don't know what Gravol is? Unbelievable. Have you never taken a plane before? Nevermind. Don't answer that. It's used to treat nausea. »

Mike obediently put the pill in his mouth and swallowed it down with a sip of water.


	4. Food Poisoning and banshees

Mike had been quiet for at least a minute and no alien sounds where coming out of him anymore, so Harvey took this as a small victory and came back to him with the second pill. The younger man swallowed it without even looking.

Harvey once more went to the sinks to wash his hands. One could never be too careful with potential diseases.

« Game plan. The Gravol is probably going to make you drowsy, so before you set permanent residence in this stall, I'm going to get you a driver and we'll take you home. I've had food poisoning before, I think the worst of it is over. You just need to rest and drink a lot to replenish your electrolites and fluids and you should feel better tomorrow. Do you have any sports drinks at home? » He turned towards his friend.

« I'm serious, Mike. I'm not talking about Red Bull here. »

Mike was not answering. Harvey raised his voice a little as he turned off the faucets and started drying his hands.

« I just told you not to fall asleep. Come on buddy! Get up, we're going. Donna's probably already found a driver anyway. »

He took a step towards the cabin of doom and froze in horror as he saw Mike get up and face plant on the floor.

« Mike! »

Harvey rushed to his side and rolled a very limp Mike on his back. Wait! What just happened to Mike? The man before him was unrecognizable. His whole face was swollen, from the eyelids to the lips, and he looked completely sunburned. He was panting like a frantic puppy but he did not look happy at all. In fact, Harvey was terrified to see that he had lost consciousness. What the hell was happening?

« Help! » Harvey yelled at the top of his lungs. « I need help right now! » he kept on screaming as he dragged Mike out of the cubicle and tore the rest of his shirt open in order to help him breathe. This was not helping at all and now Harvey could see the hives quickly spreading from Mike's throat down to his chest.

Harvey Reginald Specter was known for keeping his cool in all situations. He had done an excellent job at it up until this exact point in his life where his best friend was suddenly wheezing and possibly dying on a Pearson Specter Litt bathroom floor. Now he was officially losing his mind, screaming like a banshee and feeling utterly helpless.


	5. Litt up

Louis Litt was walking by the men's room when he heard all the commotion. Curious, he tried to push the door open, but it was locked. He frowned and knocked.

« What's going on in there? »

He could tell from the guttural screams that someone was clearly distressed.

« Open the door right now! » he commanded in the tone usually reserved for the associates.

So help him God, he was going inside that bathroom, locked door or not. No such sheenanigans were going to happen in his firm. People had to behave. He was backing off, about to try and go find a key when he heard a click.

« Louis! Help me! Please, he's going to die! »

« Harvey? »

The name partner was pulling on his arm hard enough to make him stagger. Was he crying? What the heck was going on in that bathroom? Louis got inside and wrinkled his nose as the smell got to him. But in the same second, it was all forgotten as he saw someone laid on the floor, unmoving.

He kneeled down and put his fingers to their neck. He let out a breath as he felt a pulse. Looking closer, he recognized the signs : rash, swelling, labored breathing and then horror hit him as he recognized Mike Ross. Mike Ross needed help and he needed it now! Louis got up.

« Listen to me Harvey » he said as calmly as he could.

« First, you're going to call 911 and tell them that Mike is having an anaphylactic shock. Then, elevate his legs and make sure that he keeps breathing. If not, start CPR and do not stop until I come back. Do you understand? »

« Yes », Harvey said to a fleeing Louis.

Harvey scrambled back to the floor, grabbing Mike's legs in one hand and pulling his phone out with the other. He dialed 911 and kneeled down, putting Mike's feet on his lap, his eyes never leaving his distressed friend.

« 911, what is your emergency? »

Harvey was about to answer when the phone was taken away from his hand. He lifted his eyes and saw a godsend : Donna was here.

« I've got this, Harvey. You take care of him. »

He nodded, and locked his gaze on Mike's reddened chest. « That's it, Mike, keep breathing. Please just keep breathing. »

Louis flew back in with a gigantic syringe in hand.

« Hold his legs still, I'm going to inject him with my EpiPen », he said as he pulled on a blue cap. In a swift and sure move, he pushed the device against Mike's thigh, holding it there for several seconds.

« Donna, how long until the paramedics get here? We might need another injection if Mike's condition doesn't improve within the next 15 minutes and I only had this one. »

« Maybe someone else has an EpiPen around » Harvey suggested.

« 10 minutes », Donna answered. « Louis, give me your phone too. I'm on it. I can multitask ».

Mike's eyes fluttered open for a moment but then they closed again. His hands and feet started shaking.

« What's happening? » asked Harvey. « Is he getting worse? »

Donna, still on the phone with the emergency operator, relayed the information.

« They say it's normal. His body is reacting to the epinephrine. You should cover him up. How's his breathing? »

Both men took off their suit jackets and draped them across the quivering associate.

« Still the same », Louis answered. « It's labored but it's still there ».

« You're doing great, Mike. Hang on, help is on the way. Hang on Mike, you can do it .» Harvey was repeating the same phrases over and over again partly to reassure Mike and partly to reassure himself that his friend was going to get through this nightmare.


	6. Emergency responders

« Ok, so one of the accountants on the 46th floor is allergic to nuts and has an AllerJect. We're sending her home for the rest of the day and her AllerJect is on the way » Donna announced, handing back his phone to Louis.

« We need it and we need it NOW! » yelled Louis, dropping his phone and putting both hands on Mike's chest. « Mike's not breathing anymore! Harvey! Quick! I'll do the chest compressions, you do the breathing! »

Quickly ridding Mike's limp, disfigured form of their jackets, both men got down to business.

« ...27, 28, 29 and blow! »

According to the 911 operator, Harvey had done everything right. Placing his hand on Mike's forehead, he had gently tilted his head back and lifted his chin. He had pinched his nose and had proceeded to blow air into Mike's mouth but his chest wasn't rising. He started all over again, to no avail.

« The operator says it's ok » Donna said, gently placing her hand on Harvey's shoulder. Louis was still pumping Mike's chest.

« He says the most important thing right now is to keep the blood moving in his body so that the oxygen already in there will go to his heart and brain. Just be ready to take Louis' place if he gets tired.»

« Ok... » whispered a very visibly shaken Harvey. He was not going to let Mike die on his watch. Nobody was dying today. He would not allow it. But he felt so helpless. Where was the help?

And just like that, in what sounded to Harvey like a total stampede, help finally arrived. And boy, did they arrive! Collin, one of the assistants in accounting, came rushing in with the epinephrine auto-injector. Two firefighters in full gear showed up, saying they were alerted as first responders, followed by two police officers claiming the same. Then came a Pearson Specter Litt security team member, escorting two paramedics with a gurney. The bathroom was now totally overcrowded with qualified people ready to save Mike's precious life.

Donna once more worked her magic and orchestrated the operation : the police officers would prevent onlookers from gathering near the bathroom and from blocking the hallway. Security and Collin should go back to their desks and expect free coffee tomorrow. The firefighters would make sure the elevator was ready and available for Mike. And the tall, handsome, male one would make sure to leave his number for Donna afterwards.

Meanwhile, the paramedics expertly rolled Mike on the gurney and hooked him up to a CPR automated device. Louis stepped back and joined Harvey and Donna by the sinks.

« Preparing large-bore IV with epinephrine and isotonic saline.»

« We're gonna need to intubate, the patient has laryngeal edema. »

« Do you know what triggered the reaction? » the female paramedic asked as she took off the breaks on the gurney.

« I don't know », Harvey said. «I thought he had food poisoning from a hot dog. I gave him some Gravol. »

« How much? »

« Two. He took two tablets ».

« Ok. » « We're on our way » said the other paramedic in a walkie-talkie as he and his colleague pushed Mike towards the elevator.


	7. Only You

Mike woke up feeling groggy and terribly exhausted. He lifted his heavy eyelids and saw brown eyes staring back at him. He closed back his eyes, ready to cuddle up to Rachel for another five minutes of bliss before getting up for work when reality hit him.

Those were not Rachel's eyes.

Oh God! Those were definitely not Rachel's eyes. They were Harvey's.

Horror and panic swirled through his foggy brain as Mike definitely woke up. Had he fallen asleep on the job? Suddenly, his photographic memory kicked back into gear. The case. The car. The hot dog. The bathroom. Harvey.

Was he still in the men's room? He had to get up now! He started weakly trashing around and was very confused when his eyes finally focussed on his friend's face.

« Easy there, Mike » Harvey said as he carefully put his hands on Mike's shoulders to try and stop him from moving. « It's alright, you're ok, calm down ».

Calming down was not an easy task when you woke up disoriented, feeling too hot and unbearably itchy. But on the other hand, the horrible pain and the queasiness seemed like excellent incentives to stop moving. That and being the proud owner of the mother of all headaches. Mike's body just gave up the struggle.

Harvey pushed the call button, worried that he was witnessing a relapse and that Mike had just fainted again.

« Don't worry, he's just sleeping it off » the doctor reassured him. « He will feel pretty much wiped out for up to a week. His body's chemestry has been messed up and will need time to sort itself out. »

« Is he out of the woods? » Harvey just wanted his talkative, vibrant, cheeky and annoying friend back.

« Patients with severe anaphylactic reactions, especially for those like Mr. Ross whose symptoms come on rapidly, have up to a 20 percent risk of a rebound in symptoms. We will monitor him in the ICU for the next eight hours. We'll also keep him on cardiac monitoring because we had to give him epinephrine intravenously and that sometimes causes arrhythmia. But to answer your question, he is doing good. In fact, we will extubate him in a couple of minutes.»

« Can I stay? » The lawyer didn't want to leave his protégé alone for even a second.

« You are more than welcome to stay. In fact, your presence will be very helpful both in reassuring Mr. Ross and in holding his hands to make sure he doesn't pull at anything or doesn't scratch himself. The hives are slowly clearing up but since we couldn't give him Benadryl, he's going to be itchy. »

« Why couldn't he get Benadryl? » Harvey felt like scratching himself just from looking at Mike's skin.

« Mr. Ross was more than likely having an allergic reaction to dimenhydrinate, the medicine contained in Gravol. Benadryl is in the same medicine category. It's made with dimenhydramine. Both are in the antihistamines family. »

« Wait. Are you saying that Mike is allergic to allergy medicine? »

« That's exactly what I'm saying. »

« Only you, Mike. Only you » Harvey sighed with a sad half smile.


	8. Ninjas and steroids

Mike woke up again when he felt movement near him. This time he turned his head and recognized Harvey all at once. There were other people with Harvey too, Mike noticed. A bald man and two women wearing scrubs.

« _Great_ », Mike thought, « _I'm in an hospital. Maybe they can help me with this headache »._

He tried to call out to them but his mouth wasn't cooperating. There was something in it. In his dazed state of mind, Mike was certain that this thing in his mouth was the source of all his pain and he needed it out. He needed it out right now. Please take it out!

The change in his heartbeat rhythm on the monitor was caught by the expert ears and eyes of the nurses who promptly approached his bed.

« Hello Mr. Ross. You are at the hospital. Don't worry, you are doing great » one of the nurses said with a sweet smile while taking his hand away from his face.

Mike was having none of it. That thing needed to come out. He tried with his other hand but the other nurse caught it. Sneaky little ninja. He tried fighting her but she must have taken steroids or something because he could not escape her grip.

The nurses were talking to Mike and gently holding his hands away from his face but from his standpoint, all Harvey could see were the bulging blue eyes filled with terror.

« Sometimes after a bad reaction it takes a little while for people to be their usual selves », the doctor said.

Harvey walked straight up to Mike's bed side and with all the confidence he could muster, he said : «Let go of him».

Hearing Harvey's courtroom voice made Mike feel like everything was going to be ok. Harvey was going to deal with this and win. Harvey always won. He had scared the ninjas on steroids away. Mike would have smiled, but there was still that thing in his mouth.

_TAKE IT OUT, TAKE IT OUT, TAKE IT OUT! _Mike's eyes started darting again.

Harvey bent over the bed and put his hands on his friend's cheeks, his thumbs lightly following his cheekbones, feeling the burning hot skin under his fingers.

« Mike. »

Mike closed his eyes. Harvey's cool hands actually felt good on his face.

« Look at me, Mike ».

Mike obediently opened his tired eyes and locked them on his boss's gaze. Harvey had that effect on him. It's like Mike was trained to obey him. No wonder Donna called him a puppy all the time.

« I know you feel like crap. We're working on it. The first thing we're gonna do is take out that breathing tube, alright? » Harvey kept his voice low and his sentences short, just like when he was reassuring his toddler nephew. It seemed to work on his associate who relaxed a little bit.

_...Take out. Harvey said they would take it out._

Mike's brain, once the panic dissipated, processed what he had heard. _A breathing tube? _He slowly moved his hand up to his mouth to feel the tape holding it in place. Harvey covered his hand with his own but let him touch it.

« That's right. It's coming out. Now you just need to let the nurses do their job. »

It turned out that « _just letting the nurses do their job_ » was a little more complicated than the lawyer expected. If it was up to him, Harvey would have just ripped it off like a band aid and gotten this over with, but apparently, that was not standard protocol.

So after a terrible bout of coughing, gagging and tears that no one would ever mention, lest they wanted to be sued for emotional distress, the tube was finally out and replaced with an oxygen mask. Harvey was exhausted from all the drama and Mike was now peacefully sleeping again.


	9. Puppies and crack houses

« I see that you finally got a muzzle for the puppy », Donna said as she entered the room and handed Harvey a cup of coffee. God bless that woman and her delicious, perfectly timed java. She then proceeded to take a better look at the sleeping associate.

« Geez, I don't remember him being _that_ ugly. Are you sure they didn't just give you a secondhand fake lawyer? »

« Nah », Harvey smiled, taking a sip. « Fake lawyers are hard to find nowadays and I'm pretty sure that one came with an authentic skinny tie ».

Donna ran her fingers through Mike's hair. « Poor kid », she whispered, eyes filled with concern. From what she could see around the oxygen mask, the man's face was still a bit swollen and his torso was covered in red patches.

« Are you actually petting him? You know he's not a real puppy, right? »

« Shut up, Harvey. Jealousy does not become you.»

« Seriously, Donna. I want to thank you for all of your help today. You even stayed at the office to deal with everything when I know you were dying to be here with Mike. »

« Please don't use the D word for the next century... » Donna interrupted him. « And if you want to thank someone, you should really thank Louis and his plethora of allergies. »

« Yeah, Louis was quite the man today. How is he?»

« He's fine. He briefed Jessica on what happened and went to get his prescription refilled. He convinced the pharmacist to give him 5 extra doses so now the breakroom, Mike's office, your office, the bathroom and the file room are equipped with EpiPens. Pearson Specter Litt has officially been turned into a crack house.»

« You know what? I think I'll let this one fly. »


	10. Epilogue: Candy Crush and Airplane

Mike was grumpy. Rachel had been acting like a total helicopter mom for the past two days. Sure, he was tired all the time and his throat still hurt when he spoke for too long, but did she really need to get him a freaking babysitter? If it wasn't bad enough that she had cancelled the remaining of her trip to fly back here in the first place, now she only agreed to go have coffee with Donna if Mike wasn't alone in the apartment. He prayed she hadn't called her mother.

« Come on, Mike. I'll only be gone for an hour. Two tops. You can watch a movie or catch up on The Walking Dead or that other show with the lawyers that you like. I know you have a secret mancrush on the main character. »

He sighed and dropped to the couch, deciding to be very adult about this situation by giving her the silent treatment.

Rachel patted him on the head and went to get the door.

_Great. The babysitter's here_. Mike grunted, rolled over and burried his face in the sofa's cushion.

« See you later, babe! » Rachel said in a sing-song voice. « He's in a mood », Mike then heard his treacherous girlfriend whisper to whoever was here before she walked away.

He decided not to move. Maybe if they thought he was asleep they would leave him alone? Mike had had enough pity looks for the rest of his life, thank you very much. So he stayed perfectly still until he felt his legs being lifted by the pajama pants and then the cushions dipping as someone sat down and put his legs back on their lap.

« Hey, Mike. The coast is clear. You can open your eyes now. »

Mike twisted around to see none other than Harvey Specter, clad in faded jeans and a ratty old t-shirt, his Vans covered feet on the coffee table, sucking on a popsicle.

« You brought popsicles? » Mike croaked, suddenly grinning from ear to ear.

« Back off, Marge Simpson. This one's mine. In fact, all the red ones are mine. You can have the orange ones. Nobody likes them anyway. And by nobody, I mean you are going to eat them because they were made from fresh orange juice and you look like you have scurvy.»

Leave it to Harvey Specter to cover a sweet gesture with a mild insult. Mike lazily scratched at his chest before taking the frozen treat offered to him.

« Now don't tell me you have fleas too » Harvey smirked, flipping channels on the TV.

« This puppy analogy is getting older than your shirt. »

Both men laughed until Mike started coughing. Harvey's face suddenly became serious and he stared at his friend until he caught his breath again and resumed eating his popsicle.

« I'm ok, Harvey. Don't have a conniption fit every time I cough » Mike said between bites.

« A conniption fit? Really? »

« The silliness of your reaction warranted a silly expression. »

Harvey smiled. Good old Mike was back.

« So, what do you want to do? Did you really want to sleep, because I can shut up and read, or play Candy Crush or ... »

« Don't ever mention that game again. That addictive evilness is the source of all my problems. »

« Surely you can't be serious. »

« I am serious, and don't call me Shirley. »

And that is how Mike and Harvey ended up watching Airplane and munching on popsicles until Rachel and Donna came back to find them both asleep on the couch.


End file.
